Drug Use Long Beach: Drug Use and Tooth Decay
As debates and campaigns on drug use are amped-up to prove that drugs cause brain damage, one serious and immediate side effect of drug use is often ignored – teeth problems. Ask people who stopped pill-popping and they would tell you the number of dental maladies they suffered from taking drugs, ranging from cracked enamel to serious jaw problems. Ask also your dentist in Newport Beach and he would tell you the same thing: generation-E drug users are ruining their teeth.
Prescription and over-the-counter drugs:
Basically, sweetened liquid and chewable drugs are the ones that cause tooth decay. The more sugar they contain, the greater they cause teeth problems. But, they have to be in contact with the teeth for a long time before they can cause tooth decay.
However, there are some prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs that cause dry mouth, which produces imbalance in the bacteria present in the mouth. These drugs allow bacteria that produce the most acid to dominate the mouth, so even small amount of sugar can already cause tooth decay.
Illegal drugs: Unfortunately, the most prone to tooth decay are the chronic users of illegal drugs. Because these types of drugs make the user crave for sugar, dry mouth and teeth problems are increased. These illegal drugs include:
o Ecstasy. Also referred to as the love drug or simply E, this type of drug causes serious tooth grinding, dry mouth, and jaw clenching problems. Ecstasy users have come to the habit of using a baby pacifier while in use of this club drug to help ease teeth grinding and jaw clenching. Dentists have noted that drug users who experience nausea and vomiting after taking the E suffer from greater tooth erosion, mainly because of stomach acids.
o Heroin. This type of drug stimulates the users craving for sugary foods, such as soft drinks and candies. These sugary foods have serious effect on the teeth as it increases the chance of getting tooth decay.
o Cocaine. Cocaine users sometimes rub this drug on their gums. The drug mixed with saliva creates a highly acidic condition that erodes the tooth enamel. The eroded enamel will then expose the dentine to bacteria and boost tooth decay.
o Methamphetamine. Effects of this drug include excessive sweating, dry mouth, and diarrhea. This creates a craving for users for quick energy that is easily provided by sweet foods. Similarly, methamphetamine is a highly acidic drug that attacks tooth enamel.
In general, gum and teeth problems can be avoided if illegal drug use is avoided. Coupled with good oral hygiene, achieving healthy teeth and mouth is conveniently easy. It’s best to visit your dentist in Newport Beach regularly to help combat tooth decay early on. And if you have friends who make Ecstasy or Cocaine their daily meal, help them overcome their addiction. Don’t let them solve the negative effects of jaw clenching their own way. If they think sucking pacifiers help ease their jaw and teeth problems, taking in sugary foods will just worsen it.
A self-proclaimed food lover, I spend most of my time finding the holy grail of the tummy universe. Everything that comes close to my mouth ends up in it. The only thing my husband, whose a dentist in Costa Mesa, and I don’t agree with is amount of food that goes inside my tummy. There seems to be no day in our life when we don’t fight about my weight.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jackie_Myers
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